


In Comes a Lion, Out Comes a Lamb

by hellofromorlando



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Bede is Antisocial, Gloria is still best best friend, Hop is a world traveler, M/M, Multi, Opal is dead, Rose is Bad, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:47:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21642433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellofromorlando/pseuds/hellofromorlando
Summary: Ten years after the events of Sword and Shield, Bede is still situated as the Ballonlea Gym Leader.His position may be the same, but many things have certainly changed.
Relationships: Beet | Bede/Hop (Pokemon), Hop/Hau (Pokemon), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 101





	In Comes a Lion, Out Comes a Lamb

He looked outside at the scenery. Bushes wrapping themselves around glowing mushrooms and the Glooms looming between the stalks, waiting to rest as the glowing light dims.

Bede ripped another note out of his journal. He hated this place, but still felt a sort of comforting connection to it. It was strange to him; almost eerie to have all of these mixed feelings about a large, hollow building stuck between a bunch of trees. But it was his. It was home.

Ten years he had been living here, yet nothing has changed. He eats, he trains, he sleeps (the latter doesn’t occur daily, especially from late nights of training). Occasionally he’ll go outside and talk to people, but those are rare occurrences, and requires Bede to use up a lot of unnecessary energy that he could have used elsewhere. It was lonely, but Bede liked it that way. The only person’s company he could actually tolerate was Opal’s, but since she had passed away, he didn’t really care much about interacting with other people.

His Hatterene leaned on his shoulder as he slumped over his desk in exhaustion. At least he had the comfort of his Pokémon.

“Leader Bede!” A voice yelled from outside his door, fervently knocking and snapping Bede out of his reverie. “A letter!”

Strange… he never received letters. Who could it be from? Groggily, he sat up from his desk and walked over to the door to open in to Annette’s excited face, and her arms reached out to offer him the envelope.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, taking the letter and slamming the door closed again. 

He examined the envelope, which was a striking crimson color with a gold emblem stamped onto the crease. Bede gritted his teeth. There was only one person he knew who adorned his stationary like this. Reluctantly, he opened the envelope and revealed its contents:

‘Bede, Ballonlea’s most talented Gym Leader!

We have asked that all of the leaders and important trainers of the Galar region meet at the Battle Tower for a special event! 

Since it has almost been ten years since our region has crowned a new Champion, we want to commemorate the occasion with a ball! We will also be discussing some very important methods to help our beloved people of Galar! This could be a means to change our entire region for the better, so we ask that you do not miss this event, no matter what! That goes for you too, Bede!

Special Thanks,  
Chairman Rose

Also: All leaders are required to bring a date to the ball! If it’s a dance, you’ll need a partner!’

Bede almost wanted to puke reading this. Not only was he asked to dance, but dancing with someone else? It revolted him just thinking about it.

Plus, what was Rose thinking with this event. He was sure the man would have something up his sleeve to fuck up the region again. Sure, it was his second chance at being the chairman of the League, but he was surely on thin ice now. Why was he trying to obtain so much power? Galar is fine as it is. 

Finding a partner to a dance was worrying, but if he could find out what Rose was up to and put a stop to it, then it could be worth the trouble.

Until then, it was the least of his worries. Some important battles were coming up, and he couldn’t waste too much time not training. He slipped the letter into his desk and ushered Hatterene, Mawile, and the others outside to the stadium.

-

“Hatterene, use Calm Mind, then Psychic!” Bede yelled, watching as a swarm of color surrounded his Pokémon, and his Pokémon attacked the bricks with vigor. As she successfully completed the move without error for the umpteenth time in a row, Bede congratulated her with a few berries. Hatterene cooed in appreciation.

As he returned Hatterene to her Pokéball to rest and pulled out Rapidash’s ball, he picked up the sound of the stadium doors swinging open.

“Bede!” A group of high-pitched voices yelled, and as they got closer, he could identify those voices as Gloria, Marnie, Nessa, and Milo. What the hell were they doing here?

“What the hell are you doing here?” Bede asked, reflecting his thoughts perfectly. 

Nessa went up and wrapped an arm around Bede’s shoulder. He tried to shrug her off, but to no avail. Do these people not understand personal space?

“You got the letter,” Milo stated, staring Bede straight in the eyes. It kind of gave him the creeps, but then again, it was Milo — who has nothing scary about him. Except for maybe his freckles.

“I did,” Bede paused, knowing what they were going to ask or assume next, “and I’m going.”

The four of them looked at him, wide-eyed, but then Nessa smiled in relief. “What a relief,” she sighed, “I thought we were going to have to force you into this.” She tilted her head towards him, trying to read him. “You don’t seem like one for dances, though.”

“I’m not,” Bede responded bluntly, assuming that was enough to answer her plight.

“Then why are you going?” Milo asked, and Nessa looked like she wanted to throw something at him for asking that. Bede had no idea why, though.

Bede thought about telling them the truth about why he was going to this — to figure out Rose’s true motives — but decided against it. He didn’t know if he could trust them enough. They never mentioned that they disliked Rose in any way, so he didn’t want to risk it.

“Do I need a reason?” He decided to say, playing defensive as always. “Maybe I just want to take a break from training.”

Gloria stepped up. “But Bede, you’ve gotta admit it’s a little strange. You hate things like this, and you would never take a break from training —” Gloria felt Nessa’s glare sting through her and she backed off.

“I think we should just be grateful that he’s showing up. Right?” Nessa speak-yelled through her frustration. Bede never really understood that girl sometimes.

There was an awkward pause, and Bede was getting uncomfortable with Nessa’s arm still wrapped tight around his shoulder, and all of his friends towering over him, surrounding him. He felt small. 

“Why are you guys still here? You know I’m going,” Bede said, breaking the silence.

Nessa was the one to respond, as always. “We didn’t really come here just to get you to go… but also to find you a date.”

Oh no. No, no, no. Bede was already uncomfortable discussing the ball with them, but this? Bede wanted to run away and hide right at this moment. 

“I can handle myself,” he grunted, his aggravation apparent to the others. 

Marnie giggled. “Oh yeah? Bede, you’re 22 now. Have you ever even had a date?”

Bede almost choked on air. She knew. They weren’t even that close and she knew. That’s a whole new level of embarrassing.

“I…” Bede coughed. He tried to think of something, anything. Make something up, Bede, make something up— “I think you’re being intrusive. My love life has nothing to do with you at all—”

Nessa blocked him from speaking by raising a hand. “She was merely trying to make a point, Bede. You don’t really need to answer. We already know the answer, anyways. It was made pretty obvious by your reaction.”

Bede clenched his fists until his nails dug into his skin and sighed through his nose. This was the only way he would restrain himself from punching someone. 

“Fine,” Bede croaked, admitting defeat. He would only let them help to an extent, though — they would not have any kind of influence over his life, not like Rose and Oleana did. He would not become the victim of a fool ever again.

“Yay!” The four squealed, pulling Bede into a hug. He hated this. He already hated this. And his nails dug so deep into his palms that they bled.

-

Bede liked to sleep. It was one of his favorite things to do. Unfortunately, he doesn’t get much of it, with how busy he is. His pleasures in life are very few if he wants to be successful. That is the grit of victory.

He loved his Pokémon, and enjoyed their company, but there was a different kind of joy when he spent time with people he cared about. People were more interesting, but only that. Bede did not enjoy most people’s company. Or any, at that. But he found few intriguing. And that intrigue held more value to him than anything else — except for being the best, of course. But that intrigue was something different, something exciting that let Bede’s mind wander from time to time. 

And as Bede enjoyed his few hours of sleep, a pleasure that came in such a small amount for him, he found his mind fixated on a person — a person he had not seen or heard from in years, and yet he couldn’t stop thinking about them. 

Hop had disappeared from Galar five years ago. Though Bede had never asked, Hop told him it was because he never found any place that he fit into, and on top of that, he was always living in somebody’s shadow — first his brother, then his rival. And even at one point, Bede himself.

Bede could relate to that — he always felt like he was just a supporting character in someone else’s success story, but never really felt like he was successful himself. He was just a stubborn man who liked to be left alone. Nothing more, nothing less.

The thing that intrigued him the most about Hop, though, was that he just up and left, and never made contact with anyone in Galar afterwards — even his brother hadn’t heard anything from him, as Gloria told Bede a few months ago. Bede wanted to be like him. To just leave and have a fresh new start. He wouldn’t have to be the pathetic Bede he was now, and have a chance to grow and become something more. But he had a gym to uphold, for the sake of Opal, the only person he trusted and the only person that cared for him. She deserved at least that.

-

Three weeks until the Gym Challenge started, and Bede put himself into full training mode. No eating, no sleeping — just focusing on training his Pokémon to their maximum capacity.

He was so used to being malnourished anyways, especially from his early years in the orphanage — that was one corrupt part of Galar that Rose knew of but never did anything about. Bede wanted to help those children, but he didn’t know how. Those orphanages were impossible to find without having a significant position of authority or showing serious interest in adopting a child.

Hatterene seemed to be tuckered out. She was moving slower than usual, and her body was beginning to slouch. He could tire himself out all he wanted, but if it were his Pokémon, that would not be beneficial in the long run. 

“Hatterene, return!” Bede called, bringing his most beloved Pokémon back into her Pokéball to rest. 

He sent out Gothitelle instead, seeing as she hasn’t gained enough training experience in a while, and her Dark-Type moves needed a boost to balance out her weaknesses. He decided to focus on Dark Pulse, turning off the lights in the stadium to see if she could navigate through the darkness and attack her opponent simultaneously. It was a little dangerous for Bede, considering he could be hit by her attacks too during this training, but he could withstand a few hits.

As he approached the light switch, though, he noticed a figure approaching through the glass doors next to him. He panicked, but this time he had nowhere to escape. There was one way in and one way out. When the figure got closer, he identified it to be Gloria. Damn it.

“Bede!” The girl waved, approaching the doors and swinging them open. ‘Why didn’t they lock?!’ Bede asked himself frustratingly.

She stumbled into him as the inertia kicked in, and knocked Bede to the floor. How welcoming.

“Oops! Sorry, Bede!” She shrieked, helping him to get up after pushing herself off of the floor. His back was aching after making contact with the metal ground, but he bit his lip in an attempt to play it off as nothing. 

“It’s fine,” he grumbled, cracking his back in hopes of relief, but it only made the pain worse. He grunted in strain.

“Wow, you look knackered out. You could use a break,” Gloria observed, looking him up and down as if she was his physical therapist. “Why don’t we get something to eat? On me, of course. You seem a bit cheesed off.”

“No. I’m fine.” That came out a bit more aggressive than he intended it to be. He winced.

“C’mon, mate. Don’t be so narky,” She gently lifted his chin and looked him straight in the eyes. “We haven’t had a real conversation in years, ever since… well, you know. But I think we should talk about it. And I know you need someone to talk to,” she removed her hand and dramatically waved her arms in front of him, trying to prove her point, “I mean, look at you! You’re completely boggled! Seriously, I think talking about might be good for you. It might allow you to let go, and move on. It’s been so long, Bede. It wouldn’t hurt to try and open up a little.”

Bede knew her argument was valid. He had never talked to anyone about Opal’s death, under the assumption that nobody understood. But maybe it would be good for him. He was too stubborn to admit it out loud, but it wouldn’t hurt to try and let this heavy burden go. And if he were to tell anyone, Gloria would probably be the person he would trust the most. She always seemed like she cared, and gave the effort to try and get Bede to open up. At least she deserved to see some development from him.

“Maybe it wouldn’t hurt… How about we take the train to Circhester?” Bede admitted, shifting his bag onto his shoulder.

He saw Gloria’s eyes light up in pride, a bright green lighting up in the dark room. “Great! I’m chuffed. Let’s go.”

And with that, Gloria yanked Bede’s arm before he was able to escape with a last minute decision. 

-

Gloria had some troubles with the train tickets as she usually traveled by Flying Taxi, but Bede was able to help her figure it out. Once they arrived, they took their seats at Bob’s Your Uncle, probably one of the wackiest names ever for a restaurant, Bede thought. 

“So, Bede… how have the past few years been? I haven’t heard from you in yonks,” Gloria asked after they got settled, perching her head on her hands, ready to listen.

Bede didn’t really know what to say. He hadn’t really done anything at all except for the same routine over and over again. He wasn’t there to impress her though, so he decided to tell the truth.

“You could guess. Train, eat, sleep. I’m still trying to become strong enough to beat you,” Bede explained, chewing on a toothpick he took from a cup.

“I’m glad that some parts of the old Bede still haven’t changed,” Gloria giggled.

Bede smirked, deciding to play on. “I haven’t changed that much, mate.”

“Oh, please. You used to be a chatterbox!” Gloria chuckled, slapping the table in front of him, causing Bede to flinch. Her face turned much more serious once she had calmed down. “Kidding. Okay, so maybe you haven’t changed much. But you’ve still become much more closed off from the world than you ever have been. You used to strive to be a shining star! Now you’d rather be a stick in the mud. Where is that vigor? That yearning for fame? I miss that from you. At least you talked, then.”

“Things have changed, Gloria,” Bede tried to explain, “I grew up.”

“Oh, bogwash!” Her face showed that she was becoming fired up. “You grew down! You can barely even make a conversation without running away from it!”

Bede knows. He knows why, too. He just doesn’t want to say it. He can know it, but can’t really explain why he feels that way. “Maybe it's because I just can’t trust anyone enough to give the effort,” was his defensive strategy.

Gloria sighed, both in frustration and sympathy. She knew she was being too aggressive towards him, but it was the only way to get through to him. “But that’s where you’re wrong, Bede.” She reached out her hand to hold his. “You have so many people around you that you can trust. Me, Marnie, Nessa, Piers, and so many more… all of us believe in you and want the best for you. Opal wasn’t the only one.”

When she mentioned her name, Bede’s heart panged. She knew, and he didn’t. It was Opal. Not being able to let go of that held him back; and it closed his mind to the others that he could rely on as well. 

“I… you...” Bede started, trying to find the words. He wouldn’t cry because he had cried enough. He would still mourn her each time her name was mentioned, but not with pathetic tears. She lived a good, long life and her legacy would not go to waste. He had accepted that fact.

Seeing Gloria’s eyes across from him, searching for his answer like she actually cares, like someone actually cared about him and his words for once after three years of solitude. He squeezed her hand and smiled, not finding the word but hoped that his message got across. 

The missing word was ‘trust’. He had forgotten its meaning completely, replacing it with ‘spite’. But Gloria had taught him that meaning again, and its connotations. Love, friendship, connections. It was too much to say aloud yet, but Gloria’s smirk told him that she understood. She always understood. Other than ‘rival’, he could also consider her a ‘friend’.

Gloria’s phone started ringing, breaking the moment. She scuffled through her bag, trying to find her phone, and finally picked it up. 

“Hello?” She called over the phone. A brief pause. “Oh, hey Leon!”

Bede smiled. He knew Gloria had idolized the former Champion for so long, but it was still so strange to see the two of them standing next to each other and to say the shorter, spunkier one was the Champion of Galar who had defeated him. She really was something else.

“What’s up?” Gloria continued, tapping her finger on the table as habit. Her eyes widened in shock. Bede had no idea why, though. It was probably something completely irrelevant to him. A Champion’s thing. 

“No way!” She shrieked in excitement, jumping from the booth. “Where is he?”

‘He?’ Who could that be? Bede lifted one eyebrow, looking at Gloria, but decided it was somebody he didn’t know. After all, he didn’t talk to many people. Despite this, Gloria decided to drag Bede out of the restaurant, throwing her whole wallet on the table as payment. He guessed that people with that kind of title could throw money around as they pleased.

They got right on the train, Gloria eagerly tapping her feet the whole way over.

“Where are we headed?” Bede asked her, and she only responded with a “You’ll see.” to that question and to all the questions following it. It even made Bede bellow up with anticipation.

As the train made its connecting stop at Wedgehurst Station, Gloria almost carried Bede off the train and through the route south of the city. She immediately took a left and ran through the doors to the house, running in to greet whoever it was that she was freaking out about. 

“Hop!” She yelled, running into her friends arms, twirling around. “Oh goodness, I thought I’d never see you again!”

“Gloria!” He chuckled, holding his friend up in the air. 

Bede noticed that the other man had aged a bit more than expected for only five years of absence. He grew a lot of facial hair, and his locks were almost as long as his brother’s. He also had a few scars on his face, but Bede could not guess where he would be able to get those.

He was also perplexed. If Bede were him, he would have never returned to this place. What drove him to come back to Galar? Was it his family? Or was it the fact that the world out there that Bede wanted to believe was so great actually couldn’t compare to home?

It hurt him to believe this. Bede wanted to believe there was something better out there, some place without a Rose, without a half-eaten Pokédex, that provided more potential for a trainer like him. He hoped with all his might that Hop had found somewhere that was better than Galar.

Bede decided to look in, and found Gloria scolding his friend about not contacting anyone about his whereabouts or conditions, and Hop’s older brother, with a soft smile and eyes coated with red. When he stepped in, Leon greeted him with a handshake and offered to take his coat. 

“I never expected you to show up,” Leon mentioned, hanging up Bede’s large pink coat. “Especially since you don’t seem that close to Hop.” He studied Bede for a second. “Wait a minute… did he contact you when he was gone? Is that why you disappeared too?”

Bede’s eyes widened. “What? No!” Why would he think that? “I barely know him. Gloria dragged me over here.”

Leon laughed. “Ah, I see. Sounds like her to do that. Sorry for the awkward encounter.”

“No trouble,” Bede sighed. He had something he wanted to ask Leon, so he tried to phrase it in the best way possible. “By the way… did Hop tell you why he came back?”

Leon’s eyes widened. It seemed he did not expect that question. “No. But I assume it’s because he wants to see his family and friends again.” Bede sure hoped so. By that time, Gloria had been ushering Hop over to greet Bede.

“You remember Bede, right?” Gloria asked, reaching out a hand to point out her friend. 

Hop smiled, and reached out to shake his hand. Just like his brother, Bede thought. “Of course I do! The kid who beat the crap out of me when I first started as a trainer. You really changed the way I thought about battling, you know.” 

Bede noticed his accent had weakened a bit, with more of a curl to his words. It was relaxing to hear, after all the Galarian speakers shouting at him with their heavy accents on vowels.

“Well, I’m glad? I hope I helped.” Bede questioned, unsure if he should be grateful or proud or both. 

Hop chuckled, placing a hand on his shoulder. Bede forgot how touchy this man was. “You were, actually. There was no way I could have beaten some of those trainers without memory of your expertise.”

Gloria peeked her head around Hop, joining in. “Where were you?” She asked, which Bede was surprised she hadn’t asked sooner.

“I spent most of my time in Alola, but I also visited Johto and Sinnoh for a few months. Johto is where I got these scars,” Hop pointed to a set of scars on his right cheek and on his forehead. “Got into a little scuffle with some wild Sneasels. It wasn’t pretty. But they were all exciting places! I even made some friends, like Hau. What a cool guy!” 

And so Hop spoke on and on, about how many things he did, as a hiker, a gym challenger, and so many more things in his years abroad. He showed them hundreds of pictures, a lot of this Hau kid, who seemed to be about the same age as them, beautiful landscapes, and interesting new Pokémon they had never seen before. Bede’s eyes glew with fascination at every story he told and every photo he showed them. He had fallen in love with this outside world more than he ever knew possible at this moment. 

“Bede, I’ve never seen you this happy,” Gloria mentioned, commenting on her friend’s mesmerized expression.

Bede paused. “It’s just… I’ve always dreamed of leaving Galar. To see what it’s like on the other side.”

Hop smiled and scooted towards him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “Well, mate, I’d be glad to show you. I’m actually going back to Alola next week if you want to tag along.”

Gloria jumped up at that, and so did Leon. 

“Next week?!” Gloria yelled.

“But you’ve only just gotten back!” Leon panicked. Poor guy, he just wanted his brother back for a bit.

“Relax, it’s only for a few days.” Hop settled them, waving his hands down. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“You better,” Gloria grumbled, crossing her arms. “Plus, what are you going back for? You were just there for five whole years.”

Hop sighed. “It’s more of a case of who I’m going back for. Hau asked me to visit him for a few days before I permanently moved back to Galar.”

“Aw, that’s sweet,” Gloria smiled, her hands clasped together next to her cheek. “But… this Hau guy hasn’t replaced me, right? We’re still besties forever?” Hop blushed at that nickname for their friendship.

“Of course not. Nobody could replace you, Glor.” Gloria teared up at this and squeezed her friend affectionately. “Anyways, Hau takes a different position in my life. If you know what I mean.”

Bede didn’t know what he meant, since he was terrible at social cues, but apparently Leon and Gloria did, because they both gasped. 

Leon cracked his knuckles. “I’d like to meet this Hau kid.”

Hop face-palmed. “Leon, I’m twenty-two. I don’t need you to embarass me.”

“You know the rules, Hop. Nobody dates my brother before getting through me,” Leon explained, hands on his hips. “And those rules do not diminish with age. I will always be your protective older brother.”

“Okay, fine. You can come too.” Hop sighed. Bede was unsure why he didn’t just invite them in the first place, but was so quick to invite Bede. Just as the thought popped in, Hop spoke it aloud. “You’re coming, right, Bede?”

“Yeah,” He wouldn’t pass up the oppurtunity to escape this damn region. 

“Great,” Hop stood up and stretched his arms out, yawning. Bede felt like he had to yawn too, but held it in since it was a bit rude to yawn in front of a couple people you barely knew. “It’s getting late. I’m gonna hit the hay. See you guys in the morning, or whenever.” And off he went, scurrying upstairs in the strangest way possible. Bede would never be able to read that man.

“Well, I guess it’s time for us to leg it too.” Gloria said, standing up and stretching her back. “You ready, Bede?” Bede nodded. 

“Thanks a bunch, Leon,” Gloria thanked, gently hugging the taller man. “And make sure Hop doesn’t wander off again in his sleep.”

Leon laughed. “I’ll keep an eye out.” They separated, and the two of them waved to each other as Gloria led Bede out of the house.

As they walked to the train station, Gloria perched her hands behind her head in a lax position. “Well, that sure was something, huh?”

Bede mumbled in agreement. He wasn’t sure what to expect of this night at first, but he was glad that he went.


End file.
